PhMuseum Days – International Photography Festival

A photography festival with an international scope

PhMuseum Days is one of the most anticipated events for contemporary photography in Italy. Organized in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna and the province of Bologna (BO), by the publishing and training platform PhMuseum, the festival transforms the city's historic center into a large, widespread laboratory dedicated to the image for several days. Collective exhibitions, book presentations, talks with authors, workshops, and installations in public spaces make up a program that attracts photographers, curators, editors, and enthusiasts from all over the world.

The fifth edition: ARCHIPELAGO (2026)

From October 1 to 4, 2026, the fifth edition of the festival will take place, built around the theme ARCHIPELAGO. Inspired by philosopher Massimo Cacciari's reflections on the topology of the continent and the idea of an archipelago, the theme invites us to view the crisis of modernity not as an end, but as an opportunity to imagine new models of coexistence between different identities. In an era of fluid borders and fragmentation, the exhibitions and meetings aim to create a "archipelagic" space for thought, where aesthetic and conceptual diversity dialogue within an open system.

Widespread venues in the city

The heart of the exhibition program is concentrated at the Ex Ospedale dei Bastardini, on Via D'Azeglio, and then branches out to various locations in the city center:

• Cortile dell'Archiginnasio (Piazza Galvani), which hosts a large sculptural installation visible from September 19 to October 8;
• the public billboards on Via dell'Abbadia, in collaboration with the street art collective CHEAP;
• the PhMuseum Lab on Via Paolo Fabbri, the platform's permanent exhibition space;
• the OFF circuit, with independent spaces scattered throughout the city.

Photobook Mania

Concurrently with the festival, from October 3 to 4, 2026, the second edition of Photobook Mania returns to Serra Madre, in the Serre dei Giardini Margherita complex: a fair entirely dedicated to independent photographic publishing, bringing together international publishers and artists for presentations, book signings, and meetings.

An observatory on the photography of tomorrow

Directed by Giuseppe Oliverio, founder and artistic director of PhMuseum, the festival originates from an international open call: the main exhibition features projects selected by a jury of renowned photographers and curators, offering great visibility to emerging authors alongside established names. Among the artists who have exhibited in past editions are Alejandro Chaskielberg, Angelica Dass, Marcelo Brodsky, and Vasantha Yogananthan. For those visiting Bologna in the autumn, PhMuseum Days is a valuable opportunity to discover the trends in contemporary photography in an urban setting of great charm.